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Tomato illustration
Vegetables · Annual

Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

A sun-loving summer classic. Give its roots room and its stems support.

Make it part of your growing collection.

A LITTLE EVERYDAY CARE

Help it thrive.

A few things worth knowing.
01

Water evenly

Keep moisture steady as fruit develops. Swings between dry and wet conditions can contribute to fruit splitting.

02

Support the stems

Use stakes or a cage to carry the weight of the crop and keep stems from drooping or breaking.

03

Feed with restraint

Too much nitrogen encourages leaves at the expense of fruit. Bush and climbing varieties also differ in growth and cropping habit.

Care guide · NC State ExtensionSource checked 14 Sept 2026 · Adapt timing to your climate and variety.
A PLACE TO THRIVE

Growing essentials.

Sunlight
6+ hours of sunSource-backed
Moisture
Consistently moistSource interpretation
Soil pH
5.8–6.8Source-backed
Drainage
Moist, well-drainedSource interpretation
Nutrients
Not verifiedExcluded from score
Soil texture
clay / loam / sandSource-backed
Plant spacing
≈ 60 cmPlanning estimate
Growing depth
≈ 40 cmPlanning estimate
Typical height
≈ 180 cmPlanning estimate
Growing season
warm-seasonPlanning estimate

Source-backed preferences and planning estimates are labelled separately. Missing values are not treated as a match. Spacing and depth still depend on cultivar and growing method.

Data sources & uncertainty
Sunlight

Full sun is preferred. 6+ hours describes a category, not an upper tolerance limit.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Moisture

Qualitative moisture preference from the growing description; ordinal model, not a measured watering schedule.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Soil pH

Numeric preferred pH range given in the growing description.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Drainage

Free drainage is recommended; the ordinal distinction is an interpretation, not a measured drainage rate.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Nutrients

No comparable numeric nutrient requirement verified; excluded from scoring.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Soil texture

Listed or described textures are examples, not an exhaustive list of tolerances. Unlisted texture alone is not a hard exclusion.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Plant spacing

Source planting distance: about 46–61 cm; model uses 60 cm.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Growing depth

Approximate planning value; cultivar, growth stage and container form change the requirement.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Typical height

Approximate planning value; cultivar, growth stage and container form change the requirement.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Growing season

Broad growth preference only; excluded from scoring because no location or planting date is known.

Source · checked 2026-09-14